When you started a small business, inventory tracking probably was not the first thing on your mind. You could get by using manual notes, or excel spreadsheet at best.

But as your small business develops, managing inventory using a spreadsheet can become unadequate. You will loose track of what do you have in stock in the warehouse(s) and other inventory storage locations. You will not be able to account for your inventory items and assets. You can run out of materials and supplies in the most unfortunate moment, and won't know where your equipment, tools and assets are located and who is using them.

If you are at this point, investing in the inventory and asset management software will be a good decision. But which invetory software to choose?

Quick google search for the term "small business inventory management" will yield thousands of results - how do you select a software which is best for your business?

This guide discusses types of inventory and asset management software, compares web based, desktop and mobile versions, and shows how you can use recent developments: mobile phones, QR codes, NFC - to make your inventory software less expensive and more useful

Capterra is a software directory that has collection of software products in every possible category. Software description, link to vendor's site and reviews will help you narrow down your software search.

This buyer's guide from TechnologyAdvice lists and compares populer inventory management software packages for different business sizes: retail / small business, warehouse / supply chain management, ERP. You can select software package that is appropriate for your business, and read a case study.

When selecting software, your best bet is to pick a simple system, easy to use, that provides barcode scanning / QR code scanning / NFC options, can be easily accessed from anywhere and is affordable. One example of such a system is QR Inventory - check it out.